The Governess of Dunmoore Hall
by Julechan
Summary: Janeway never finished that holonovel. A shameless adaptation of "Our Man Bashir" & "Jane Eyre" including dashing 19th century attire, polished manners, a blushing Captain and a very smug Doctor.
1. Chapter 1

The Governess of Dunmoore Hall

A shameless adaptation of "Our Man Bashir", including direct quotes, and the wonderful "Jane Eyre" for my own diabolical J/C purposes. Enjoy :o)

Chapter 1

„Computer, run programme Janeway Lambda One. Engage privacy lock."

Captain Janeway turned away from the holodeck entrance to watch the yellow grids around her transform into a familiar setting. Comfortable chairs, heavy velvet curtains and dark wooden panels on the walls indicated she was once again back in the 19th century.

She smoothed her large dress down and let out a breath. She hadn't used this programme in years, but something today had reminded her about it, and she figured she never finished it. To be fair, every time she had used it, something dramatic had happened. The last time, for example, she had suddenly hallucinated, imagining objects and people from the story on real-life Voyager. Of course, that had been alien influence, but somehow she had never quite felt at ease again to step back into the role of Mrs Davenport, governess at Dunmoore Hall.

Janeway heard voices in the corridor and tried to settle into her role. She could make out the detestable housekeeper, Mrs Templeton, ushering the children to bed, before entering the drawing room.

"Ah, Mrs Davenport. I just made sure the children are getting to bed. I hope you forgive my intrusion into your... _territory_." She ruffled her nose and glanced at Janeway over the top of her small glasses.

Janeway didn't have to be reminded twice that this woman was not for her to like. She raised her chin, a pose not unlike that she assumed whenever Voyager encountered particularly hostile aliens. "Not at all, Mrs Templeton. I am glad you lend me a hand, on occasion." She bowed slightly, but not letting the housekeeper out of her sight.

Mrs Templeton gave her a curt nod and a cold "Good night," before leaving the room. Janeway tried to suppress the uneasy feeling this woman gave her. She checked herself – this was just a holonovel, and her Captain's instincts were not needed here. All this woman was upset about was the fact that the 'disruptive' governess had managed to charm the cold Lord Burleigh.

Janeway sat down, watching the fire, simply enjoying its glow on the dark walls. He would probably seek her out soon. One particularly bad memory from the hallucinations was Mark, accusing her of being unfaithful, because she had kissed "the man from the holodeck." Now, Janeway figured, Mark wasn't a topic that troubled her any longer, and as the years in the Delta Quadrant became tougher, she had learnt to appreciate those scarce hours of freedom. And if they included kissing a handsome English gentleman, all the better.

* * *

"Oh come on, Chakotay, it was boring – admit it!" B'Elanna slumped down next to her friend on the back seat in the shuttle.

He simply grinned. "We haven't even taken off, B'Elanna. Couldn't you have tried to seem a little less annoyed with them for the last ten minutes?" He had to agree with her, though silently. The negotiations _had_ been boring, with all the protocol the aliens had insisted on. If not for the stunning scenery, the mission would have been a total waste of time and energy.

She huffed and rolled her eyes. Tom took the pilot's seat, with Icheb next to him. The ex-Borg was using these small excursions to learn more about piloting shuttles and anything else that Tom was willing to teach him – mostly "social skills" as B'Elanna had dubbed such previous lessons as 'playing pool'.

Last to enter the shuttle were Seven, dragging a bouncing Naomi by the hand. The girl was chattering away about all the things she had seen during what had been shore leave for her. Seven had a hard time not smiling constantly, as Chakotay noticed. He was happy that at least someone had enjoyed themselves. He planned to talk to the Captain about arranging shore leave for everyone.

Icheb eased the shuttle back into space, under Tom's close observation. After they were safely en route to Voyager, Tom turned around to the others. "It was all a bit weird, if you ask me."

B'Elanna looked up. "If by 'weird', you mean 'pointless', I agree."

"No, well, yes, it was boring, but didn't you notice how nervous they became when we started to ask certain questions?"

Now he had Seven's attention. "You are referring to your inquiry about their history."

Tom turned to her. "That, and my remark about how quiet it was. They kept looking at each other after that."

Chakotay frowned. "That's not such an unusual thing to say, it _was_ pretty quiet down there. But as to the history, I don't see why they should share that particular detail with us. It's none of our business. "

B'Elanna agreed. "Yeah, we're just passing by anyway."

Tom sighed. "All I'm saying is, if they had nothing to hide..."

"We're approaching Voyager," Icheb stated. Tom dropped the conversation. They were hailed by Tuvok, and cleared to dock. Suddenly, a console beeped. Icheb frowned and ran his fingers over the panels before him.

"This is strange. I am detecting an energy build-up in our engines."

Tom grinned. "You're supposed to _slow down_, you know..." But he immediately became serious when he realised that something was wrong. "What the... if we don't shut down they're going to overload. Cut main power!"

"I can't! I'm locked out of all controls!" Icheb frantically pressed several buttons. B'Elanna had jumped into action and accessed a wall panel. Seven was comforting Naomi, and Chakotay looked over Tom's shoulder.

"B'Elanna, access the emergency override!"

She hammered a fist against the wall. "It's been disabled!" She looked at Chakotay, they shared a worried look. "Sabotage."

"What?!" Tom just shook his head in disbelief. "Paris to Voyager! The shuttle engines are overloading, and we have no way of stopping it, get us out of here!"

"Acknowledged, drop your shields."

"Shields down. Forty seconds to overload!"

A blue glow enveloped them, and that was all they remembered.

* * *

The six away team members appeared on the transporter pads. Harry was relieved only for a second, when suddenly the beam turned white and fluctuated.

Tuvok's stoic voice rang over the comm channel. "The shuttle has been destroyed." There was a pause. "Do you have them, Ensign?"

Harry faintly noticed Ayala step next to him, as he tried to figure out what was going on. "Not yet, but they're almost there..." The console beeped.

A white flash, a shockwave. Harry looked up, and they were gone.

"Ensign? What happened?"

"I'm not sure, Commander. It looks as if the energy from the blast somehow travelled back along the transporter beam and collapsed it." Harry pressed a few buttons again and added, "the primary energy coils are fried," his heart began to race, "but the patterns are still in the buffer!"

Tuvok even seemed agitated now. The whole bridge was holding a collective breath, listening to the conversation. "Can you retrieve them?"

"We need to repair the damage first! But there's no time – if we don't rematerialise them now, the patterns will degrade."

Tuvok didn't waste a second. "Computer, store the patterns currently in the transporter buffer in Voyager's main computer memory."

"Unable to comply," came the metallic response. "Insufficient memory for desired procedure."

Ayala cut in, "the patterns are losing coherence!"

Harry wiped his hands over his face. _Think!_ "Computer, erase all data in Voyager's entire memory banks and save the patterns from the buffer!"

"Warning. This procedure is unprecedented and could result in a complete system failure."

"The buffer is depolarizing!"

In spite of the danger to the ship, Tuvok was prompt. "Computer, this is a command priority override, authorization Tuvok-pi-alpha. Proceed."

All the lights went out, and were replaced with faint emergency lighting. There was a second of silence, then Ayala stared at Harry. "The buffer has lost coherence. The patterns are gone."

Harry frowned. "I think we have them, Commander. The computer _did_ save the patterns..."

"Where?"

Harry's eyes went wide. "It seems... everywhere."

* * *

Janeway looked up from her musings when the light flickered. This wasn't unusual for the house, though. Everything was made to be spooky in this programme. But nothing could prepare her for the shock she received a second later.

"Lucie! There you are!"

A man stood in the doorway, still hidden in the shadows. He was dressed in typical 19th century gentleman attire, as usual, but there was something odd about the appearance of Lord Burleigh. He slowly stepped forward – why did his voice sound so familiar?

"I've been looking for you," he added gently.

Was the fire playing tricks on her mind? No, now he came closer still. She recognised the tattoo before anything else.

"Chakotay?" Janeway stared at him incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

He stopped and looked puzzled. "I.. what?"

Janeway pulled a lopsided grin, very uncharacteristic of the governess she was supposed to be. "Oh, very funny Commander. But you could've asked me before joining my programmes. You gave me quite a scare."

Now he seemed completely at a loss. "Commander? But I... Lucie, I don't understand what you're saying. Please, I wanted to talk to you." He found his balance again. "About... yesterday."

The Captain frowned and got up. She checked herself from simply confronting him again. Something seemed off about him. How did he know about a day that surely wasn't 'yesterday' to her? And how did he manage the English accent so flawlessly?

She took a few steps backwards. "Computer, restore character parameters for Lord Burleigh."

"The character parameters are correct."

"Computer, freeze programme."

"Unable to comply. Holodeck controls are offline due to ship-wide emergency."

Janeway tried to ignore Lord Burleigh's worried looks toward the ceiling. This certainly wasn't Chakotay, or he would've dropped the charade right now. She turned to the window, and hit the invisible combadge under her dress. "Janeway to Tuvok, what's going on?"

She got no response. "Janeway to the bridge. Are you there?"

She figured communications must be down, and turned to the man who looked like Chakotay.

"I'm sorry, my Lord, but I guess we'll have to continue this another time."

* * *

"I've got them, Commander!" Harry had returned to the bridge to continue his analysis there. The light was still dim and people were running around checking the ship's systems.

Tuvok quickly walked over to the ops station. "Where are they?"

"It seems the computer had not much choice." He pointed at a ship diagram. "The memory is barely large enough to hold their neural patterns at all, so now they are saved ...everywhere! Basically every system is offline, because the space was needed for the patterns."

Tuvok nodded as he studied the panels. "Replicators, weapons, shields, even primary life support is affected." He looked around, as if expecting they'd run out of air.

Harry pointed at deck 6. "But look at this: the only place able to cope with the physical patterns is the holodeck."

"Is someone using it at the moment?"

"Yes..!" Harry frowned and touched the panel. "Programme running is... Janeway Lambda One – The Captain's in there!"

Tuvok hit his combadge to contact her, but only got static. "If the patterns use up that much space, it could have disabled the programme. The Captain will be aware that something is wrong."

"Not necessarily. The holodeck could simply save the patterns in it's backup.. as spare parts, so to speak."

Tuvok stepped down into the command area again. "We should investigate. Tuvok to the Doctor."

* * *

"Computer, end---"

"DON'T!"

Janeway turned, startled, to see the Doctor standing next to her. Lord Burleigh stared – at nothing. "Don't worry, he cannot see me. Now, Captain, whatever you do, don't end this programme."

Janeway thought quickly, then turned to the Lord with a flourish of her hand. "Oh, my Lord, I am not feeling well. I shall retire now." She silently wished that the _emergency _had left the characters as dumb as they were about out-of-character moments.

She was right. He jumped into action. "Lucie, oh, what can I do?" The Doctor stared at Chakotay.

She brushed off his advances and left quickly, leaving him utterly confused. The Doctor followed her, but continued to look back in wonder. When she had reached her room, Janeway turned to the him.

"All right, Doctor. What's going on?"

"There was an accident. The away team's shuttle exploded, but were beamed out as it happened. During transport, the energy coils were damaged. Commander Tuvok and Ensign Kim had to find a way to save the patterns before they degraded, so they used the entire ship to do just that."

Janeway stared at him and slowly sat down at the foot of the bed. Her bulky dress and the even bulkier bedding were rustling. "So you're saying the computer put their physical patterns in the holodeck? That's why Lord Burleigh suddenly looks like Chakotay?"

"We don't know exactly how it happened, but yes, the computer has stored the patterns of the entire away team, that is Commander Chakotay, Lieutenant Torres and Paris, Icheb, Naomi Wildman and Seven of Nine, somewhere on the holodeck."

Janeway let out a breath and mumbled, "and I thought he was just messing with me." The Doctor continued. "So you see, we can't end the programme. We can't even open the doors, it might destabilise the emitters and the patterns could be lost. Commander Tuvok sent me, since communications is down as well."

"So what do we do now? Just sit this out, and wait for Harry to reassemble them?"

The Doctor nodded. "Something like that."

Suddenly, the light changed. They both looked out of the window and were shocked to see that it wasn't night any more. The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Well, this is something I never learnt about ancient earth... rapid passage of time."

Janeway ignored his sarcasm, she was worried. She walked to the window and wiped her face with her hands, sighing. "This is part of the programme," she said quietly. "Night is skipped if nothing is scheduled to happen. This is a holo_novel_, after all. It will continue as planned."

"And? I don't see the problem."

Janeway wrung her hands. "Well, you see..." She started to pace. _There's no need to worry_, she thought. This would be solved in a matter of hours, she could hold out that long. She waved it off and tried a nervous smile. "Nothing. You're right." _This is the 19__th__ century - what could possibly go wrong?_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry was crouched down next to the large holodeck console with his tricorder. "Confirmed, they're here. All of them."

Tuvok sat down as well. "If the physical patterns are stored here, and the neural patterns in all the other systems, how can we bring them together again?"

Harry frowned. "Theoretically it shouldn't be a problem. I can repair the damaged coils. But I'm afraid all the people with extensive knowledge about transporter resequencing are currently not available."

Tuvok stood. "We will make do with what we have, Ensign. Go to engineering and round up anyone who might be able to help. Have all the other departments report to me as soon as possible."

With that, he returned to the bridge. Harry felt like the entire ship had just been loaded off on his shoulders. _Now I know what Commander Chakotay usually feels like._

* * *

Captain Janeway had changed her dress, and was now fidgeting with her hair. The Doctor was exploring the house, since he was somehow invisible to everyone else. A knock on the door startled her and made her drop some pins.

The Doctor slowly crept back into her room. "Don't worry, it's just me." When she returned to her grooming, he walked around a bit and started, "Captain, maybe you should fill me in on the story we're playing here. I'm not familiar with it. Are you a guest, like all the others?"

"Others?" Janeway turned in surprise. That was news.

"There is a large number of people about in the rooms downstairs. Apart from the servants, I mean. Other _Lords and Ladies_, I presume?"

"The hunting party..." Janeway whispered. "Of course! Well, Doctor, this should be interesting." _I wonder who's who._

"Captain?"

"You see, in this era, all the nobility lived in their own manors, like this one. But for company, the largest and richest estates usually invited everyone else to stay for a few weeks. Around this time of year, the gentlemen meet to go hunting in the grounds."

"I see. And you...?"

"I live here... as the governess to Lord Burleigh's children. Beatrice and Henry," she added. She was now finished with her hair and looked out of the window. Windswept moors and crooked trees surrounded the old manor, a small brook went through the grounds and a small glade was situated just at the edge of the estate. In front of the house was a large and well-kept lawn. "They're quite extraordinary you will find..."

"So what is the _plot_ of this novel?"

She turned. "What?" She knew exactly what he meant.

He stepped next to her and surveyed the grounds. It was obvious he did not see anything romantic in it at all. He wrinkled his nose. "If anything ever happens in this dreary place."

She sighed. "Well, you see... it's a romance novel."

He raised his eyebrows to hitherto unknown heights. "_Oh_... I see."

She tried to make it sound like it was nothing. "Lord Burleigh falls in love with the governess, although society would prefer him to marry someone his equal in standing," she said very quickly.

The Doctor looked doubtful. "Barbaric times," he huffed.

"But there's a lot more going on in this house than that. I am not entirely familiar with the plot, or all the people, for that matter. I was simply letting it play out. There's the thing about his wife, for example."

"He's married? Even more scandalous," the Doctor added sarcastically.

"She's dead."

"Oh."

"Or at least she's supposed to be. Beatrice thinks she's still alive. And that girl is strange as well. She can play the piano marvellously, but her father is unaware of it. I am guessing the mother could play. Then there's the housekeeper, Mrs. Templeton. She doesn't like me, in fact, she would like nothing better than to kick me out. And little Henry, well, he inherited his title as well as his arrogance."

"Pardon me, Captain, but _you do this for recreation_? No wonder you get headaches."

"Well, Doctor, you play golf, Tom Paris saves the world, and I like a little mystery."

He only rolled his eyes. "So how far along are we, in this little _mystery_?"

Janeway tapped a finger against her chin. "I only used it three times, the first time I was introduced and explicitly forbidden to go to the fourth floor. The second time I met the children. I started teaching them properly after that, and during that some time passed, I'd say a few months. Then Lord Burleigh..." she reddened a little, "declared he loved me. Shortly after that I never used it again."

"Fascinating," he said. "So, what do we do today?"

"First, I should make an appearance downstairs. After that, I teach the children. The men will be out hunting by now. Later, we have tea and dinner, and after that the guests assemble in the drawing room or the library. Nothing special, Doctor."

"I should certainly hope so."

* * *

"Kim to Commander Tuvok."

"Tuvok here."

"Could you come to the bridge? I think I'm making progress."

"Acknowledged."

Seconds later, the doors of the ready room opened, and Tuvok walked over to Harry's station. It looked weird, him using the Captain's ready room so naturally. But then again, he had a lot of reports to go through, so it was probably more comfortable than sitting on the bridge.

"It seems that communications is back online. Good work, Ensign."

"That's not all. With the help of Lieutenant Carey and some of his people from engineering, we've found a way to reassemble the away team members."

Tuvok nodded in appreciation. "Carry on."

"The only problem is, the data transfer is going to use a lot of energy – virtually everything we have. In order to maintain constant power during the procedure, we think it would be best to evacuate certain areas of the ship and cut life support there. With the rest of the ship on minimal energy, it should work." Harry pointed at several decks of the ship. "We can relocate most people from their quarters to the mess hall. We only need one transporter room from deck 4, the rest can be shut down; deck 8 is expendable as well. And that," he looked up, "should do the trick."

Tuvok looked over the schematics. "Proceed as soon as you're ready."

"Aye, Commander. Oh, and we have also distributed people on critical stations to replace our missing officers. Ensign Wildman is standing by in sickbay."

"Very good." He hit his combadge. "Tuvok to Janeway, do you read?"

* * *

Janeway jumped. She had just left her room, but now she dashed back into it and slammed the door shut. "Janeway here. Am I glad to hear you, Commander."

"Are you all right, Captain?"

"Yes, I'm fine. The Doctor told me what happened."

"Mr. Kim has found a way to bring the away team back. But it may take a while before we are ready."

"We don't have a lot of time. We just found out that the time speeds up when nothing relevant is happening. It was the middle of the night a minute ago, and now it's morning."

There was a pause. "Interesting. Can you keep the programme running for now?" Janeway rolled her eyes at his stoicism.

"I think that shouldn't be a problem..." she said, somewhat hesitant. She and the Doctor shared a look.

"Very well. I will contact you again when we are ready."

"Acknowledged. Janeway out."

A small smile played around the Doctor's lips. "We'll just have to make sure your day is full of relevant incidents, won't we?"

She threw him her best death glare.

* * *

Captain Janeway descended the large staircase. She tried to relax, but part of her was extremely nervous. It wasn't exactly like anything in the programme itself had changed, but knowing that she would run into one or the other from the away team any time soon made her heart race. The Doctor stayed in her vicinity, but had promised not to interrupt her in her routine, lest she should do or say something out of character. Everything was to run as smoothly as possible.

She turned towards the drawing room. The first thing she saw wasn't even such a big surprise. Naomi Wildman was sitting in a large armchair, needlework on her lap. Her hair was done up exactly the same way Beatrice's had been, she wore one of her usual dresses; the biggest distinction were obviously her Ktarian spikes.

She looked up when Janeway entered. "Good morning, Mrs Davenport."

"Good morning... Beatrice. How are you today?"

"I am well, thank you. Henry bids me tell you that our father took him along for the hunting party."

"He did! Isn't he a little too young for that?"

Naomi's voice took on a colder note than Janeway had ever heard. "That is for my father to decide. Now, what are _we_ going to do for the day?"

Janeway was taken aback a little and swallowed. It was really strange seeing Naomi like this. "Well, I thought we should go upstairs to read... or maybe you would like to play the piano again?" she asked with a smile.

Beatrice started to say something rough, but checked herself. Seeing as they were alone, she answered quietly, "I would like that." She left her needlework on the chair and followed her governess out into the hall. When they reached the staircase, Janeway stopped abruptly.

Mrs Templeton stood at the top of the stairs, and the look she sent them over her thin glasses was one to freeze plasma. "Good morning."

Janeway mentally exhaled, seeing that at least one main character had stayed exactly what it was before. "Good morning, Mrs Templeton." The only problem was, if neither B'Elanna nor Seven had gotten the part, who were they?

They slowly ascended the stairs, and without another word turned into the school room. Janeway closed the door and Naomi – no, Beatrice – ran over to the bookcase. "I shall read first, Mrs Davenport. I am still not finished with _The Odyssee."_

_How fitting, _Janeway thought. She settled down on a large pillow in one of the window alcoves, and the girl sat down opposite her to read aloud from the book. The window faced south-east, so the sun was just starting to flow through the room. It was a beautiful day in late summer.

They stayed like this for a while, and she thought she could probably wait out the whole crisis just sitting there, listening, watching the dust float in the sun. But the programme was merciless: even now, during the day, time seemed to fly by much faster than it should. Before long, the Captain was startled out of her reverie by barking of dogs and men's voices downstairs. She tried to blink the sun and her weariness away.

Naomi's clear voice, endowed like the others with a strong English accent, still rang through the dry air. "O blind to fate! What led thy steps to rove the horrid mazes of this magic grove? Each friend you seek in yon enclosure lies, all lost their form, and habitants of sties. Think'st thou by wit to model their escape?"

"Fitting, indeed." Janeway jumped at the Doctor's quiet comment. She had a way of forgetting his presence, just as he had a very ungentle way of reminding her of it. When she looked up, she just noticed a dark form by the door disappear. She would recognise him by his movements, she realised, even if it wasn't truly him.

The Doctor followed her eyes. "He stood there for a while, actually."

Janeway silently rolled her eyes, but he continued. "And, if I may be so bold, you looked radiant just now. You should have no trouble... _charming_ his Lordship. I must revoke my earlier opinion: the repose seems to become you."

Janeway brushed a stray hair behind her ear self-consciously. Too bad she couldn't answer him right now and tell him... well, what? He wasn't finished though. "However, I would appreciate it Captain, if you could try to keep this as professional as possible. I'm not sure how much his change in appearance affects your performance, but I..."

"It's part of the programme," she hissed.

Beatrice looked up. "Madame?"

The Doctor grinned rather smugly at her embarrassment. She recollected herself. "Oh nothing my dear. It was... just a stray thought that occurred to me. And I believe your father has returned. But carry on, if you please."

As the girl went back to her story, Janeway tried to spend as little thought as possible on the fact that the Doctor was right. Before, this had just been another holodeck character. But with Chakotay playing the part, the 'game' was taking a rather uncomfortable turn. Over the last few years, she had wondered a lot what it would be like to kiss him, knowing that she would never let herself get the chance. Now she knew she would, sooner or later, and she wasn't sure if it was such a good thing to know just what she was missing.

"Good morning, Mrs Davenport," came a rather dark voice from the door. Janeway's mouth fell in surprise. _Henry?_

"_Icheb_..." she whispered. Okay, this was becoming truly strange. At least Naomi was the right age. But Icheb?

"I am ready for my lessons. As my sister must have informed you, our father took me hunting."

"Y-yes, she informed me... thank you... my Lord."

He bowed slightly and squeezed himself behind one of the small school tables. Beatrice closed her book and joined him without a word. They both looked at their teacher expectantly. She still had trouble accepting Icheb as the tiny Henry she remembered.

"All right," she began, rubbing her temple for a moment. "Let's continue with mathematics today."

But Beatrice piped up, "I'd rather play the piano now."

"Beatrice!" hissed her brother. "Stop saying that. You cannot play."

"Yes I can," she spat. "Mother taught me. Just because she never taught you..."

"Mother is dead, Beatrice!"

"Children, please." Janeway raised a hand, but to no avail.

"No! She's not dead! I visit her! I know she's alive!"

"Children!" She tried her Captain's voice. This time it worked. They both looked at her sulkily. But then Beatrice said something new, something unexpected.

"Just come with me next time, up to the fourth floor, and I'll show you." She tried to say it quietly to her brother, but was still too angry to keep her voice down. Janeway pretended not to have heard and tried to begin with her lesson. Again, time passed quickly. Janeway had hardly started talking before they were disturbed again. It was getting a bit annoying, really.

"Beatrice? Henry?" Mrs Templeton leaned into the room. "You are wanted downstairs with the guests. It's time for tea." When Janeway started following them, she sneered, "Oh, Mrs Davenport, _you_ needn't bother yourself today."

It was obviously just another infringement on courtesy, but this wasn't the time to argue. Janeway simply nodded, albeit a little arrogantly, and sent the children – or rather one child and one very misplaced adolescent - off with Mrs Templeton.

The Doctor followed them to the door. "Charming woman."

Janeway rolled her eyes. "At least you're enjoying yourself," she murmured.

"Aren't you?" He grinned. "It's _your_ recreational programme after all."

She silently wished she could simply deactivate his programme just so he would shut up. But she was the captain, she would handle this professionally.

"You know what, Doctor? You're right. I'm not simply going to spend this entire time hidden away up here. And I don't care what that housekeeper says, I think it's time I mingled a little."

"Now you're talking," he said grinning, and followed her out of the door. He was already a few steps down the stairs when he noticed she wasn't following. She stood fixed, staring at a door at the end of the corridor. It was the staircase that led to the fourth floor. She wondered what had her so transfixed – and then it hit her. The door had been hidden; usually a large tapestry concealed the entrance, but not very well, and she had always known what was behind it. Someone had used that door recently. It stood slightly open.

"Captain? Are you coming?"

"Yes, yes, go ahead." She collected herself. It was not yet time to go up there; in fact, she had to avoid it as long as possible.

Her thoughts still occupied, she took the first step; the Doctor had reached the landing leading to the second floor. He turned around, as if in anticipation of what was about to happen.

Janeway felt the hair on her neck stand on end, she felt she was being watched. And just as she wanted to turn around, she heard the Doctor shout a warning; then she fell.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Captain! Captain, can you hear me?"

Janeway blinked. She felt there were people moving around her, there was a constant shouting and shuffling of feet. She made out the Doctor's grim face next to her. "So much for 'nothing special'. It seems the safety protocols are disabled - as usual in dangerous situations," he added sarcastically. "It would seem necessary that I assume a more... _solid_ role in this _romance_ of yours; Captain, if you will excuse me."

She weakly raised her hands. "Doctor, wait... can't..."

"A Doctor! She needs a Doctor!" The place of Voyager's chief medic was exchanged with someone she knew all too well. Chakotay held her hand. She felt a strong sense of deja-vu – she was hurt, he was by her side, worried. But she had to remind herself again, that this was not sickbay, and he was not her First Officer.

"Lu- Mrs Davenport," he said quickly, glancing at some of his guests around him, "can you hear me?"

"Yes, don't worry, I'm fine," she managed. _Ouch. Why do I always say that?_ She quickly assessed the damage – probably a twisted ankle. _And a severe headache_, she added. Her hand touched her head, to check if there was any blood. And what did the Doctor say? Why did he leave? _No blood, thank goodness for that._

She felt several of the men lift her up, carrying her over to the drawing room. She faintly recognised another familiar face.

"Tom?"

"Easy now, don't move her too fast," she heard him say. She was put down on a small sofa and tried to stay conscious, as the bustle around her continued. One thing stuck out, though. She heard a woman faint, and some other people started attending to her. Through the swishing dresses, Janeway thought she caught a glimpse of her – and her distinct forehead ridges.

After that, she tried to get a better look at her, but everything was still a bit hazy around her. She didn't quite know how much time passed, but suddenly she heard Chakotay's voice. "A Doctor, finally! In here please, quickly now!"

Again, the Doctor's familiar face appeared before her, but now framed by a stiff white collar, completing his flawless 19th century 'physician' look, waistcoat and all. He gave her a quick check, then proclaimed he needed space and ordered everyone else out. When they were alone, he quickly produced a medical tricorder.

"That's not very... in character, Doctor." Captain Janeway pulled a lop-sided grin, realising she was in quite a lot of pain.

"Luckily I'm always prepared," he said, " or you would be in serious trouble. The ankle they can deal with, but with the head, I'm not so sure." He pressed a hypospray against her neck and pulled out even more small equipment. Hovering his instruments over her head, he said, "I saw Mr Paris, by the way. He seems to be one of the gentlemen in the party. I wonder what his role is."

Janeway had an idea, but knowing his sarcasm, kept it to herself. "I know, I saw him too. And B'Elanna." That left only Seven. On a sudden hunch, she looked around the drawing room, until she found it. Her heart skipped a beat.

"You do realise that someone pushed you. This house is more dangerous than I imagined. You're going to have to be more careful, Captain. This is no game." The Doctor was working on her ankle now. "You should have..." he looked up and stopped when he saw her face.

Janeway was silent. She stared at the one thing telling her that he was right. This was only the beginning. She tried her voice, it was grim. "You're right. We're in trouble."

The Doctor followed her eyes. On the wall next to the window hung a large portrait. He gasped. The black curls of Beatrice and Henry's mother had been replaced by blonde ringlets, and she suddenly had a curious metallic adornment over her left eye.

"But that's Seven! How did she end up in that portrait?" He got up to get a closer look.

"That," Janeway said, pulling herself up into a sitting position, "is a portrait of the _late_ Lady Burleigh."

"But if she's dead, why would the computer..." his voice trailed off as he realised the implications of this thought. "So..."

"So, she's not dead. She's alive, and if I'm not mistaken, imprisoned on the fourth floor. And I think I can safely conclude who was responsible for my little trip down the stairs."

The Doctor was shocked. Janeway guessed he wasn't too comfortable thinking of Seven as the 'evil mother' character. He came back to the sofa, and finished treating her ankle. "And I thought this was a harmless romance novel. Be more specific with your plot descriptions next time! You are in serious danger!"

Janeway raised her hands defensively. "Now wait a minute, I could hardly know the safeties would be down. Plus, I think it's Seven we should be worried about, not me."

"And why is that? The last time I checked, _she_ pushed _you_ down the stairs."

"I'm supposed to end up with Lord Burleigh. And what, in the 19th century, is the first obstacle in our way?"

"Oh."

Janeway involuntarily balled her hands to fists. "Sooner or later, she will die, and this time, for real. And if she goes, the Computer might delete her pattern - we cannot let that happen. And yet, there's no way for me to prevent it!"

The Doctor packed his things away and looked at her hopefully. "Maybe you could be really unfriendly to Lord Burleigh?"

She thought about it, but shook her head. "I don't think I have that much control over the plot. It has its boundaries. All we can do is delay it. But not indefinitely."

They were startled by a gentle knock on the door. _Speak of the devil, _Janewaythought. It was Lord Burleigh, inquiring after the patient, trying to make it look as inconspicuous as possible. The Doctor assured him that his governess was fine, but should stay put for the evening – he couldn't really pretend he healed a twisted ankle just by looking at it, so Janeway was confined to her sofa.

Again, Lord Burleigh pretended to be only mildly glad, although his eyes – Chakotay's eyes – told her differently. The attending guests started filling the drawing room again, and since the governess was nobody of consequence to them, regained their good mood rather quickly. Janeway had a hard time looking weak and unimportant now, she was in full Captain mode, thinking rapidly about her options, about what she could do to prevent a catastrophe – whilst being chained to a sofa in a room full of people alien to her and her world.

The Doctor, she noticed, had been pressed to stay, and was immediately immersed in a conversation about medical practice with one or two of the guests, who hung on his every word.

Janeway started watching the others, and specifically looked out for Tom and B'Elanna. Their characters had to be important, in some way. Her eyes finally found him, standing next to a very beautiful woman with shining dark curls. When she turned a little, she saw it was B'Elanna, looking amazing in her shining sky blue dress. Tom looked quite handsome himself, all dressed up like a gentleman. He seemed to notice her watching him, so he walked over to the couch and pulled himself a chair.

"May I join you?"

Janeway had to suppress a grin - his accent - and simply nodded most graciously. It took her about five minutes to know what his part was. He was way out of line, to start with, introducing himself ("George Pearson, at your service") instead of being introduced (properly), and he was blatantly and impertinently trying to impress her. First, by inquiring about her health, then by complimenting her strength and so on. He was flamboyant, and a bit too sure of himself.

"Tell me, Mrs Davenport, what is so funny?"

Janeway tried to look modest, but thought, what the hell; "It is just, Mr Pearson, you remind me of someone I know."

His answer was as prompt as it was predictable. "Someone you like, I hope," he said with mock indignation.

"Fortunately, yes," she smiled. His face lit up. "Then, by all means, call me George. I hate all this Mr and Mrs business." He probably expected her to accept that and offer her name, but she simply made no comment. Instead, she steered the conversation to the guests, primarily interested in where exactly the plot was going. Ironically, it turned out B'Elanna, or Adelaide, was his sister. Tom was most happy to indulge his captain with any gossip she might be interested in. Janeway wondered if he was going to divulge any dirty family secrets if she asked nicely.

"Your sister is very beautiful, Mr Pearson. I'm sure she has many suitors here."

"Really, it's George." He gestured around. "Oh and there are a few. But just between the two of us, there's only one she's got her eyes on." He looked across the room. B'Elanna was now seated with three others around a bridge table. Chakotay sat next to her, and she was literally all over him, as much as she could in this century anyway. She bowed forward to pick up a card she had _clumsily_ dropped – her hair quite naturally brushed his cheek. She continually made comments and jokes that were probably meant for him. In fact she was so busy trying to attract him, she was totally unaware that he was not the least bit amused.

Of course, he _looked_ amused. He played along with her games, was courteous, even a little flirtatious. But his eyes were somewhere else. Janeway saw that he held no esteem for this woman whatsoever.

"I think it's only a matter of time now." Tom grinned and clicked his tongue. "Nice catch, don't you think? They make quite a striking pair."

Janeway tore her gaze from Chakotay. "They do indeed." It was ironic. This was all _designed_ to make her jealous – and now she actually was. Yes, it wasn't real; yes, this wasn't him. But still, deep down her instincts fuelled a fire that couldn't be suppressed so easily.

She had trusted him with her heart a long time ago. She felt a lurch in her stomach when this realisation dawned on her. He belonged to her. As surely as she belonged on Voyager's bridge, his place was right by her side. In all respects.

She tried to shake the thought and concentrate on Tom instead, who was eyeing her curiously. He had said something. "Pardon me?"

He smiled, but his face radiated pure arrogance. "I said, too bad you're confined to the sofa. The air is lovely tonight, and it is still warm for this time of year. But," he sighed, "I guess I'll have to take you on a stroll another day."

Janeway thought she would rather still have a real twisted ankle than stroll through the garden with _George_. She tried to smile, but was still occupied with B'Elanna and Chakotay. She saw him lean over to her to say something. She managed a genuine blush and they got up to leave the room.

Tom was watching them as well. "It seems my dear sister thinks along the same paths as I." He looked pleased, but leaned over to Janeway. "Jealous?"

She was startled and laughed it off as convincingly as she could. "Don't be ridiculous." He pulled his devious grin again. "Tell me, _Mrs Davenport_," he stressed her name in a mock serious voice. "What will you do when his Lordship takes a new wife? Oh and by the way," he continued, "you have been married, too?"

Janeway turned to him again, and pulled her thoughts together. "Yes, I have. Unfortunately, Mr Davenport died a few years ago, and I returned to being a governess."

"How tragic. He left you so young – and penniless!"

She gnashed her teeth and tried to ignore the 'so young' part without blushing. "Indeed he did. And to answer your first question, I will simply seek a new situation. I am sure his Lordship will assist me."

"Oh I'm sure he will. He knows so many people, there is bound to be someone who will employ a talented governess."

Janeway threw him a smug grin. "And how would you know how talented I am, Mr Pearson?"

He was slightly taken aback by her comment. She mentally scolded herself to be more Mrs Davenport and less Kathryn Janeway. This was not the time to have fun, she needed to stay focussed. It seemed she had only encouraged her _suitor_ more. He was beginning to become annoyingly suggestive, when the Doctor suddenly approached and relieved her from her misery.

"Excuse me, sir, but I believe my patient needs some rest now. Mrs Davenport, if you please." He offered an arm, and Tom jumped up to help her up, too.

"But she hasn't had dinner yet!"

"I'll have something sent up. Please," the Doctor led her away, with Janeway putting on a most convincing limp. When they reached the door, she entreated Tom to 'stay and not bother himself', and he grudgingly wished her a good night.

When they were alone again, Janeway stretched and sighed. "Thanks Doctor, I owe you one."

He raised his eyebrows. "It seems Mr Paris hasn't changed much."

The Captain shook her head, laughing silently, and heaved up her massive dress to ascend the stairs. When they reached her room, she simply fell back on her bed, spreading her arms over the soft material. The Doctor produced his tricorder again and hovered it around her. "Your head is all right, Captain, but when this is all over, I want to see you in sickbay, no excuses."

She moaned and rubbed her waistline. "You can probably add a few cracked ribs to the list by then. This dress is killing me! _Don't_ say anything," she added, seeing his smug grin. _Some recreation this turned out to be._

The Doctor returned downstairs, as the guests would surely expect him at dinner. When he had left, she sat down at her small dressing table. She knew she shouldn't really get ready for bed, but loosened a few strands of hair from her bun to relax and leaned back. She smelled the cool night air through the half open window, saw the glimmer of her candle reflected in the mirror; the dark carved wood under her fingers; she couldn't help being drawn in by the atmosphere. She knew it wasn't real, but somehow that didn't ease the pressure weighing heavily on her heart. This was earth, home, and no matter what century, it felt so, so good to be 'off' a starship for once.

She stood up and walked to the window. It was getting darker, but she could still make out two figures walking back towards the house. Of course, it was Lord Burleigh and Miss Pearson – his half-Klingon would be bride. They were talking, but suddenly, just for a second, Janeway saw Chakotay's gaze flicker up towards her window. Her heart skipped a beat. She retreated a little but continued to watch them. He offered his arm to the lady, who graciously accepted. They returned inside.

Janeway lay down on the bed again. She wondered how much time was passing now, and what was going to happen next. What influence would the Doctor have? And yet, all her thoughts strayed back to Chakotay. She hadn't been prepared for her feelings. She genuinely hated seeing him with another woman, real or not. She sighed. It was situations like these that she wished they had a counsellor on board. If only Kes was still with them. Just someone to talk to, to ask for advice. Usually that someone _was_ her First Officer. But in this case...

She sat up, startled, when she heard a tentative knock on the door. Before she could say anything, the Doctor slipped back inside. "Doctor!"

He held up his hands reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'm officially sitting in a _carriage_ home. I'm back to being the invisible observer."

Janeway grinned. "You really enjoyed yourself, didn't you?"

He straightened up and tried to look professional. "Never mind that, we need to be careful. I have a bad feeling about tonight."

She became serious. "Why? What else happened when I was gone?"

"Oh nothing special, really. Dinner was excellent, albeit a little rushed, and Miss Torres continued her less than subtle flirtation with the Commander..." when he saw her narrow eyes, he added, "which, as you might like to know, were quite ineffective." He grinned smugly.

"Doctor!"

"Anyway, after dinner, seeing that you weren't there, there was a rapid increase in speed again. Everyone has gone to bed now."

The Captain frowned. "So what's going to happen next?"

He looked worried. "I'm not sure. But something _will_ happen very soon. Just when I came back here, I noticed time slow down to normal again."

She ran her fingers through her hair, forgetting she still wore her bun, causing half her hair falling down. It was hard enough maintaining it at all with her shorter hair now. She pushed one strand back, still thinking, trying to remember what had to be next. "We have to... out-think the programme," she murmured, "we need to know what's going to happen before it does."

The Doctor simply watched her in silence. Suddenly, she got to her feet. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Oh no." Her hand covered her mouth in shock. "The fire."

Seconds later, she was already outside, running down the corridor, hearing the Doctor shouting behind her. Her mind raced. _Too soon! _The faint cackling became louder as she neared Lord Burleigh's bedroom. She could smell it now. Ripping the door open, she jumped back at the initial onslaught of heat. But she did not hesitate – she'd been through worse on Voyager.

"Captain, get back, it's too dangerous!" The Doctor was beside her, holding her arm back.

"I have to help him! Doctor," she tore from his grip, and instead grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to listen. "I know what happens next," she hissed. "Go to the end of the corridor, there's a door. Go to the fourth floor."

"But what...?"

"Seven's up there. She mustn't leave! Go!"

He staggered back, completely bewildered, and ran off.

Janeway grabbed the pitcher of water from the night stand, holding one hand up to shield her eyes. She poured what she could over the burning bed. Her dress caught fire. Chakotay woke with a start. She grabbed a blanket and put down the remaining flames on the bed and herself. He took in the situation quickly, and jumped out of bed. His damp shirt hung loose around his shoulders, and Janeway thanked whoever made the programme that he was still wearing his trousers.

He stared at her; she was half drenched and scorched, her cheeks glowing and her eyes watering from the smoke. He stepped closer. She noticed his breathing. He took the pitcher from her and put it down without looking away. She knew this scene. She knew exactly what was going to happen, but was still unable to tear her gaze from his dark eyes.

He blinked. "My God, Lucie." He went to his dresser and grabbed a blanket. "My God," he said again. "Here." He put the blanket around her shoulders and stepped closer. "I believe you just saved my life."

_In more ways than you think, _she thought.

His hand grazed her cheek and wiped off some soot. "My sweet angel." All right, this was going too far. Janeway drew back instinctively. This was so wrong. He _looked_ just like him! But she was pretty sure he'd never say stuff like that. He took her hands. "What would I just do without you?"

She tried to work it all out in her head, but the situation was just too weird to be true. He wrapped his arms around her with a sigh, and gently held her head against his chest. When he spoke, she heard the deep rumble in his chest – she so loved his voice.

"How foolish of me!" he exclaimed. "To put you in such danger! Never, never..." he paused, recollecting. Janeway tried to think of something to say. He loosened his arms to look at her. His fingers gently stroked through her loosened hair.

"M..my Lord," she started, her throat dry.

He lowered his face to meet her eyes. Memories of Chakotay flooded her, and she felt her last defences weaken. "Please, call me Edward." She felt soft lips on hers, and closed her eyes, simply letting it happen. _He even smells like him!_ She thought of her best friend, her closest confidant; the man she had loved for so long. Just once, she wanted to know how it felt to be in his arms.

But reason did not let her indulge. This was neither the time nor the place to finally solve her love life conundrum. She pushed her feelings away, trying hard to get a grip on herself.

She pulled away from him. "No! No, we are in danger, we need to---"

"Don't, my love! Let us just forget this terrible accident!"

Now, she was fully alert. It occurred to her again, how obviously unlike Chakotay this man was.

"Accident!"

He let go of her, surprised.

She took a deep breath, shaking the last remainder of the kiss from her. "That was no accident. Just as I didn't just fall down the stairs - I was pushed!" _Let's hope he doesn't remember my ankle..._

"Lucie," he stammered, "what are you saying?" Chakotay's face contorted with anger and confusion. He raised his voice. "You are confused."

She straightened herself up and balled her hands. "I am not. You will tell me the truth, or I shall go to the fourth floor and find out myself."

He was clearly taken aback by her behaviour, but it wasn't entirely out of character, so he accepted it. He searched her face for a moment, his own features grave, lit only by a faint glow from the corridor. "All right," he nodded. "I will show you." He offered his hand, which she took, and they stepped through the door.

But when they had walked a few paces, he stopped.

"Wait."

Janeway flinched and tried a very unconvincing limp. But that wasn't it.

"Do you smell that?" They shared an alarmed look. Still holding hands, they broke into a run towards the main staircase.

It was ablaze.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

There was smoke everywhere. Janeway coughed. "Where do we go now?" She turned to Chakotay. He dragged her away from the burning railing and held his arms around her protectively.

"Up! We go up," he said grimly, probably realising that secrecy didn't matter any longer. All the cards were on the table. They walked quickly back through the corridor, towards the door to the fourth floor. Janeway saw it stood open. She wondered what the Doctor had found.

It was strange; as they walked, she realised she was fully immersed in the story. Not the one intended by the programme's author, obviously. But this was the kind of situation she always dealt with on Voyager – danger, life and death decisions – and she was walking through this burning mess with the one man who was always by her side. Even though she kept reminding herself that it wasn't him, to have kissed him and felt so close to him, only minutes before disaster struck, somehow felt perfectly all right.

She was surprised that it didn't distract or unbalance her. On the contrary, she was more sure than ever what she was fighting for. To save the lives of her friends.

* * *

Harry walked through a corridor, only lit by emergency lights. He stepped through a door and sealed it behind him.

"Computer, confirm that all crew members have left deck nine."

"Confirmed. Deck is emptied of all personnel."

"Seal all entrances to deck nine."

"Deck locked."

"Shut down all power on deck nine, including life support and gravity. Authorization Kim, Gamma Five."

"Shut down complete."

Harry let out a breath, turned and almost jogged to the turbolift. He was finally through his share of decks. He and Tuvok, being the only senior officers left, had shut down all non-essential systems, while Neelix was taking care of some of the crew in the mess hall.

"Deck four," Harry ordered and waited. A minute later, he rushed into the last active transporter roon. "Kim to Tuvok. All decks cleared and secure, I am coordinating the energy patterns now."

"Acknowledged," came Tuvok's reply from the bridge. "I have clearance from all areas, so you may proceed as soon as you're ready."

"Will do, Kim out."

* * *

Captain Janeway carefully stepped up the tight steps. Hand in hand, she and Chakotay had made it through a dark and dusty corridor, which led to a old, spiral staircase. She felt the cold and wet practically radiate from the stones. They were both silent. She wondered what was going on in the rest of the house; the guests were probably fleeing for their lives by now.

"Here we are," came Chakotay's voice in front of her. He stood at the top of the stairs, where a dark wooden door opened up to a small room. When he helped her in, she took in the atmosphere. The walls were covered in wood, a few candles were flickering peacefully along the walls. Nobody was there. The place looked unremarkable – but to Janeway it felt heavy with the anticipation of danger. A door led to another room, and Chakotay turned to it.

But then he hesitated and frowned. "Before I show you, Lucie, I need to know one thing."

She looked at him, blue eyes boring into brown.

"Do you love me?"

She was taken aback by that, it was unexpected, somehow. Of course, there was only one answer to be given. She stepped closer to him and swallowed. "With all my heart." She thought herself a brilliant actress before she realised she'd meant it. Only not intended for him.

His jaw set and he seemed content. "Then know, that I love you – know that, no matter what you might think of me when you see this." He went to the door, and slowly turned the key.

Suddenly, there was a scream. Only not from in front of them, but from below. They heard voices, loud shouting and more frightened screaming. Chakotay drew back from the door and quickly walked back to the staircase. A yellowish glow was coming from below – and shadows were playing on the walls. Someone was coming up, probably fleeing from the fire.

"Hurry!" It was Tom's voice! "Here, take my hand!" They heard a woman whimpering. Chakotay looked back and shared a worried look with Janeway, before two people staggered into the room. Drama demanding no less, George and Adelaide Pearson, dressed only halfway, their faces smothered with soot, came on stage for the final act.

"My Lord! We didn't know-- I mean, we were cut off, the... the whole house is on fire! Is there another way down?" Tom was out of breath, B'Elanna looked on the verge of collapsing. "Edward--" she breathed. He stepped forward reluctantly and took her outstretched arm. His gaze flickered back to the Captain.

Janeway's thoughts raced – they needed to get out of this situation, and quickly. Then she nearly jumped out of her skin when the Doctor stepped through the wall right next to her. He saw who had arrived and quickly hissed in her ear, "I see we're all here. Seven is in there. She's not doing much, but she seems to play some sort of lunatic."

_Yes, of course she does. _Janeway tried not to turn and whispered as quietly as possible, "are there other ways out of here? The corridor has been cut off. We need to get everyone out of the house! Including Seven!"

Chakotay caught some of that. He turned and looked at them all. "There is another way over the battlements." He hesitated.

Tom stepped forward and supported his sister. "What are we waiting for then!"

Chakotay nodded. "Very well. Follow me."

"Captain, we need to stall! There's no other way we can prevent this," the Doctor said. But it was too late. Chakotay returned to the door and turned the key.

* * *

Harry touched a few panels before him and turned. "Okay, give it a try."

Ayala was working with him on the transporter controls, and now worked one of the wall panels. As it beeped, he nodded. "It all checks out. We should be able to do it now."

Harry let out a breath and nodded. He slowly slid his hand over transporter control to beam the away team back.

On the holodeck, Janeway thought she heard a familiar sound, seconds before a blue glimmer surrounded Chakotay and the others. She almost sighed in relief, but then the beam flickered.

Ayala's hands frantically worked the panels. "No, no stop! It's going too fast!"

"I got it, I got it!" Harry's heart raced as he reversed the transport in progress, just before any more relays burned.

Suddenly, red lights sprung on around them, and the sound of the red alert filled the room.

"What now!" Harry hit his commbadge. "Kim to Tuvok! What's going on!"

* * *

Janeway and the Doctor had both frozen in their places, staring at their friends. They rematerialized on the spot and moved on as if nothing had happened. Another scream made Janeway turn in shock. Something tall and blonde lunged at her. The monster that was Seven buried her teeth in Janeway's shoulder and grabbed her hair. She was snarling and growling like a beast.

Strong arms ripped that beast away. "Enough!" came Chakotay's bellowing command. "Enough, now!" He held Seven tight, and managed to subdue her quickly. She continued to struggle, and he added, his voice more cynic than ever, "ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce my wife."

Tom simply stared, Janeway rubbed her injured shoulder. She quickly took in her surroundings – a small, room, tapestries on the walls, a fire, a bed. A small table, a chair. Everything looked... scratched.

"Your _wife_?!" B'Elanna shrieked. She was backing off from Chakotay and his bundle as if they were contagious.

"Yes, my wife. But can anyone blame me for choosing another, for wanting something else but this?"

B'Elanna ruffled her nose in disgust. "I certainly can't." She was obviously thinking of herself, but Chakotay only barked a joyless laugh.

"I'm not talking about you, you silly cow." He turned to Janeway, and his voice became more gentle. "Her."

Now B'Elanna looked positively offended. "Her? What do you mean, _her_?! Your governess?!"

"Not that it matters any more," he said, resigned. Janeway still stared at Seven, her hair flying wild about her, a white nightgown her only piece of clothing. She was trying to bite Chakotay but he held her tight in one arm. With the other, he ripped off a strip of white cloth from the bedclothes and bound her hands. The picture was so grotesque, it made Janeway's stomach turn in pain.

Everyone was still too shocked to speak now. Tom was the first to come to his senses.

"I'm sure we can sort this all out – but now we need to get out of this house!" He let go of B'Elanna, who staggered and steadied herself on the wall. She continued to stare from the Lord to Janeway to Seven, her mouth hanging slightly open; she was shaking all over.

This was too much. Janeway grabbed her arm. "Please, pull yourself together--"

"Do not touch me!" B'Elanna ripped her arm out of the Captain's grasp and started shaking even more violently. "You _low, inferior thing_! Don't you dare touch me!" She was even flashing her teeth.

There was a loud crack - "This way, quickly," came Tom's urgent voice. He had broken through the wooden boards covering a window and snapped off the lock. A cold night wind blew into the room. B'Elanna stormed forward and began to climb out. Tom helped her and then turned to Janeway.

"Lucie, take my hand! Come on!" She hesitated. It was her custom, and her instinct, to be the _last_ to leave the sinking ship, if at all; but in this century, she was obviously required to go before the men. She threw a last pained look at Chakotay, and he only nodded. Seven had calmed down a bit, and was watching the others with narrowed eyes. Madness sparkled out of her beautiful eyes, as if she was planning another move to plunge them all into more trouble than they were already in.

The Doctor was also watching her. He was pained to see her like this. He would stay by her side, Janeway knew. She scrambled through the open window, its frame cracked and broken in a few places. She felt a sharp pain in her arm and flinched. A sharp metal rod from the frame had pierced the underside of her arm and ripped her dress. She tore her arm away to release it. Tom, looking back at Chakotay, didn't notice. She tried to see where she would land. She jumped, and stood shakily on the broad battlements of the Dunmoore mansion.

The silver light from the moon was mingled with a red glow coming from somewhere below. The fire had spread quickly, and was eating up the entire house. Janeway breathed in the fresh air and tried to think. What next? Where would they go? She needed to distract herself from her throbbing arm. She pressed on the wound, but her sleeve was quickly soaked in blood.

"There's no way off! We're stuck! He lied – there's no way down!" B'Elanna was running from one side to the other, quite mad with fear. She kept repeating "we're all going to die!" and when Janeway tried to get near her to calm her down, she just became more furious. The Captain didn't know who she should worry about most – a lunatic Seven, a hysteric B'Elanna or the daring Tom, who would probably try something heroic to save them. And suddenly, everything shook.

Tom had climbed out, and Chakotay was handing Seven through the window; and everything started shaking again. Tom was thrown against the wall, and let go of Seven, who stumbled away from him. Chakotay was thrown down from the window and grunted in pain. The Doctor walked through the wall. "What was that!"

Janeway had to hold on to the balustrade. They shared a look, telling them both that it was definitely not--"

"An Earthquake!" B'Elanna looked like she was about to faint. She held onto the balustrade as well, clinging on for dear life. "God help us!"

Suddenly, things started to happen very quickly. Seven grunted, and tore at the cloth around her hands. Her crazy laughter echoed into the night, as she succeeded and shook it off.

Chakotay jumped forward to catch her. "No! Stop!" He was holding his arm, it looked broken.

Voyager gave another violent lurch and they were thrown around again. Janeway took a step forward, but was hurled against the masonry. Her head collided sharply with a jutting stone. Seven took another step back. She reached for the balustrade.

* * *

"Tuvok to Kim. Status!" Harry heard the sound of exploding consoles.

"What's going on up there!"

"It seems that we are under attack." _No kidding! _Harry could only marvel at Tuvok's ability to stay calm even in situations such as these.

"Try to give us one more minute, Commander, we're almost done!"

Ayala was hammering against the transporter controls. "Yes! I think I have it!" Harry spun around and looked at Mike, who nodded. "Try it," he said.

Harry let out a breath. "Here it goes," he murmured.

* * *

Janeway lunged forward. Time seemed to slow down. Seven's hands found the low stone wall behind her, she closed her eyes. Chakotay reached out and tried to grab her hand. She leaned backwards, there was nothing to hold her now. She sighed and stretched out her arms. "Freedom," she said. And fell.

"No!" "Seven!" "STOP!" The Doctor desperately tried to reach her, but he was too late.

She was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A blue shimmer and a familiar sound made the Doctor and Janeway turn, shock still etched into their features. Chakotay disappeared where he stood, and so did Tom and B'Elanna. A second later, they were alone.

They shared a look, both holding their breaths. "Did they...," Janeway ventured.

The Doctor hesitated a second, then hit his combadge. "Doctor to... anyone. Can anyone read us?"

Silence.

Then, a cracking sound. Another. "..ok to... way. Do … read?"

Janeway's eyes went wide. "Janeway here! Tuvok – do.. do you have them?"

"Com...ications … Har... working.."

"Tuvok! Please, are they okay?"

"Affir... away tea... safely... tr.. port worked. Voya.... un.... attack.... bridge--"

That was all she needed to know. "Computer, Exit!"

* * *

Janeway strode down the corridor as quickly as she could. She grabbed the remainder of her bun and pulled the pins out completely. It was nice to feel her hair brushing against her cheeks again. The dress was whooshing around her ankles. She was becoming increasingly aware of a stinging pain in her head, and her shoulder was throbbing. She held her arm tight with her other hand, but the sleeve of her dress was already drenched with blood.

She quickly reached the turbolift. "Bridge!"

When she arrived, Tuvok raised an eyebrow at her appearance, but seemed pleased. "Captain on the bridge!" Everyone turned. At the same moment, the other door to the bridge opened and Harry stepped in, followed by Dunmoore's protagonists. They all shared a quick, rather bewildered smile with the Captain, who stood frozen, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu. Chakotay, B'Elanna, Tom, Seven – all wearing their normal uniforms, clean and unhurt, as if nothing had happened at all. She felt a wave of intense relief.

Tuvok made way for the command team. The Captain wrestled her feelings down and walked down the stairs. Chakotay joined her and took her in completely. The wound was the first thing to draw his attention, but before he could say anything, she waved him off. "Later." He nodded and glanced at her dress, smirking in spite of himself.

She pressed her eyes shut for a second, slipped on her command face and steeled herself. "Report!"

"Two Vaadwaur raiders off the port bow. It appears they were the ones who sabotaged the shuttle. We detected energy readings that indicate a subspace tunnel nearby."

"Shields are holding."

Chakotay frowned. "They must have undercover people on that planet. Might be just a coincidence that we came along..."

"On screen! Return fire," Janeway barked. There was no time to think about who, why and how.

A few calculated shots later, one of the ships took heavy damage and spiralled out of sight. The other raider came back for another attack.

"Open a channel!"

Tuvok pressed a few buttons, then looked up and nodded.

"This is Captain Kathryn Janeway. Hold your fire."

There was no reply. She and Chakotay shared a look. Janeway sighed.

"Oh very well, disable their warp drive... do they even have warp?!"

Harry snickered a little. "Er... yes, ma'am, but their shields and weapons are no match for us." Tom and B'Elanna shared a grin. Tuvok raised his eyebrows, shrugged and fired. A precise shot stopped the ship in its track.

Janeway put a now bloodstained hand to her forehead. The pain was beginning to make her feel dizzy. "Set a course..." she clenched her teeth. "...for the Alpha Quadrant, Mr Paris, warp 6."

"Aye Captain," he said and seconds later, Voyager sped away, leaving the disabled attackers behind.

"What was that... all about," Janeway managed, and tried to get up. She just made out Chakotay rushing over to her, before everything went black.

* * *

She blinked. A bright light was above her, she could hear voices.

"Very well, Miss Wildman, I'm giving you a clean bill of health."

"Oh honey," Samantha Wildman gathered her daughter up in her arms. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!"

"Mooom, it wasn't even that dangerous! Can we go there again?"

Samantha sighed and kissed Naomi on the nose. Icheb stood next to them and grinned.

The Doctor saw the Captain was awake. He moved to her side and smiled. "Welcome back, _my Lady_. It seems you almost severed an artery, and you had a concussion," he stated matter-of-factly. "You're really lucky, as usual." The others in sickbay saw the Doctor talk to her, and suddenly, she was surrounded by people. But she was only searching for one face. When she finally saw him, his eyes full of concern, her heart did a back-flip. She managed a small smile and assured them she was fine, all the while keeping one eye on her First Officer.

"Since you're all _fine_ now," the Doctor added, looking a little claustrophobic, "it would be great if I could get my sickbay back. Give the Captain some room!"

Tom and B'Elanna rolled their eyes, and the latter quickly leaned down to Janeway and touched her shoulder. "You have some serious story telling to do, Captain!"

Janeway raised her eyebrows. B'Elanna grinned and turned to leave with Tom. Samantha Wildman, Naomi and Icheb also wished the Captain a speedy recovery and they all left together. Suddenly, Seven stepped forward. Chakotay and the Doctor were keeping a distance to give them some room.

"Captain. It is good to see you well."

"Thanks, Seven, and.. likewise." How good it was to see her normal and _sane_ again!

The former drone hesitated. "The Doctor has explained the situation." Janeway looked over to him in alarm, but he raised his hands in defence. Seven continued, "it is disconcerting not to remember any of it. I trust that you will not reveal too much of my strange behaviour to anyone."

Now she knew where she was going! She slowly sat up on the bed, hauling her heavy dress with her. "Seven..." she said, "it wasn't like you could help yourself. It wasn't you, it was the character!" Seven shifted uncomfortably on her feet, and didn't seem satisfied.

"But of course, I'll try to speak of the details as little as possible. With regards to everyone." She threw a glance at Chakotay.

Seven nodded and left, and he stepped closer. The Doctor smiled and wandered off into his office.

"Nice dress," he said.

A crooked smile formed on her face. "Thanks."

He took her hand in his. "It's good to see you're okay. The rest of us got off lightly compared to you... as usual. I wish we could have been of more help."

She sighed and gripped his hand firmly. "Somehow, I felt as if you were all there with us, even though it wasn't you," she added, smiling.

"The Doctor was pretty vague... care to fill in some details? Off the record," he grinned.

Janeway felt her cheeks flush. She tried very hard not to think of the kiss, but it was too late. He saw that she was somewhat uncomfortable and let go of her hand. But she held onto it and pressed it in reassurance.

"Tell you over dinner?" she asked.

He beamed at her, his dimples showing. "It's a date." Reluctantly, he let go and left.

The Doctor slowly came back and looked over her readings again. "Elevated heart rate, temperature risen by..."

"Doctor...!"

He grinned. "I think you can go now, but you are to rest at least another 24 hours before you go back on duty, Captain."

She raised her eyebrows in a 'you gotta be kidding me' fashion.

"All right, all right, but at least try to get a good night's sleep, okay?"

"Deal," she grinned. But then her face fell again. "Doctor... what exactly did you report of our little... adventure?"

He smiled just a little too smugly. "Well, I outlined our general situation, who was who and such. But nothing of _consequence_," he added pointedly. "_That's_ your job now." He snapped his tricorder shut and walked to his office.

Before he went in, he turned once more. "Captain?"

She looked up.

"Will you go back?"

She smiled. "Oh, I think I'll stick with this century for now, Doctor."

He nodded. "But when you do – maybe you could let me know... you know, in case someone pushes you down the stairs again," he added and tried to sound casual.

She grinned. "I would like that."

A smile spread over his face and he left.


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue

"...and then I poured all the water over your bed, trying to put out the fire... I was really scared."

Chakotay smiled affectionately. They were both sitting on his couch, sipping some of his infamous Antarian cider. Dinner had been excellent, and he was now teasing every little detail about Dunmoore out of his Captain.

"But... I'm curious. Even with the safeties off, could I really have been harmed in that situation? I mean, didn't the plot demand that you save me?" He grinned.

Janeway poked him. "Don't be so smug. Who knows what might have happened."

"Well, what happened next?"

She hesitated again. She had tried to work her way around the juicy nonsense before, and he had blatantly told her he knew what romantic novels were like and she should stop feeling embarrassed about it. So now she didn't even have a proper excuse any more.

But now, she _really_ hesitated, and tried to think of a way to avoid the kiss. "Um..." _Were adults, right? Get a grip! _"Well.. you _thanked_ me." _Coward!_

His eyes went wide with amusement. She knew that he probably knew exactly what she meant, but neither of them commented on it further. The most amusing thing was, Janeway found, that they both kind of thought about it as if it had really happened to him – the fact that it _hadn't_ had been lost somewhere along the way.

His face only clouded over when she told him about her injury and the volatile situation on the battlements. He gripped his glass tighter when he heard about Seven's jump and the few, anguished seconds before Tuvok gave them the thumbs up. They knew each other well enough not to need words for such moments, so they simply sipped their cider in silence.

After a while, Kathryn spoke. "You know what was nice about the 19th century?"

He smiled and leaned with one elbow on the backrest, gazing at her with a glint of amusement in his eye. "Tell me."

She pulled one leg up to the sofa and rested her glass on her knee. The dim light created colourful reflections on her grey turtleneck. When she squinted, all she saw was colours.

"Well," she began, "we all thought life was so hard back then. As a matter of fact, we still think life is so hard for us." He raised an eyebrow, probably thinking _Delta Quadrant?!_ but said nothing. "But in the end," she twirled the glass between her fingers, "it all comes down to the same basic principles. _That_ hasn't really changed that much over the last 500 years. It was nice to... know."

He was still waiting. "What I'm trying to say is," she twirled again, "life isn't that hard. It's quite simple actually. We all wonder where we'll end up, and we do our best to reach some destination or another..." she slowly trailed off, staring into the distance of dancing colours, wondering where she'd be, when the drama was at an end.

"Don't worry Kathryn," he said and put a hand on her cheek. He was so close, she could almost feel the deep rumble in his chest again. "Survival might sometimes be tricky, but life will take us wherever we need to go. We'll find a way."

She sighed and leaned into him a little. He took their glasses and put them on the table. When he leaned back again, he laid his arm on the backrest and turned completely towards her.

"You know, about that 'simpleness'. You have a point there."

"Yes?" Her voice failed her a little. He was definitely making her nervous now, the way he was looking at her. Like he did on the holodeck, but now it was him, now he meant it.

"There's something in my life that I'd like sorted out, you know?"

"Hm." She looked away from him. After a while, she whispered, "why now?"

Now he was silent. "Hm."

She sighed. A few seconds later, he chuckled. Kathryn's hair stood on end. Pulling a half-grin, she asked, "what's so funny now?", and tried not to look at his dimples.

"Just look at us. Like two silly cadets!"

She grinned too now. But when he looked at her again he was dead serious. "What's so complicated, Kathryn?"

She swallowed and felt a pang in her stomach. He was really talking business now. She sighed again. "Chakotay..." She liked how his name rolled off her tongue. "I don't know... it's not..." What was she going to say? What could she possibly say? I don't want to be with you? Well, she did. We can't? Well, to be honest, there was nothing stopping them.

She sighed again. "Maybe I was wrong. Life seems to be more complicated than I remembered."

"More than 19th century nobility?"

"Definitely."

Suddenly, he bent forward and kissed her. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. She had hardly time to feel absolutely surprised, incomprehensibly happy and horribly confused, and totally grateful, before he broke the kiss. He rested his forehead on hers for a moment, eyes closed, and they both took a deep breath.

"I didn't get to say thanks for the rescue before." He smiled and seemed stupefied by the kiss as well. "So... thank you."

She was stunned. "You're ...welcome...?"

Suddenly he looked up at her. "A little less complicated now?"

"Not really."

He chuckled again, and she felt warmth spreading all through herself. "I should have done that a long time ago. Just to make you nervous."

Her mouth went open in indignation. Then she realised he was teasing her and she tried to hit him, but her arms were trapped. "You...!" They laughed.

And without a break, they were kissing again. And giggling. A tear rolled down her cheek, but they didn't notice.


End file.
